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fit for habitation." The desert he traversed was named after him, Escalante." Another wise man said, "The old desert takes its toll of everything you get out of it." But another man, whose life was more closely linked with the desert, said, "I have picked thousands of dollars off those sagebrush," meaning that his sheep and cattle had made this for him. Such thoughts are symbolical of the story that makes up the history of Milford Valley. Too many, who have endeavored to subdue it as a wilderness, have ended in disappointment and failure. Some have realized prosperity. In general, it has meant a struggle against the elements to gain a livelihood. The earliest settlers in the valley located on ranches along the riverbed, where water was available for irrigation. These were ranches in the strictest sense of the word. With the exception of a few who had the choicest places, their attempts were futile. Little was raised except wild hay, the reason being that the land was flooded in the early spring by high waters. Most of the ranches were abandoned before the turn of the century, but a few continued to be operated for the grazing of livestock. Shortly after the turn of the century, a few of the ranches that were still inhabited were the Peter Martin Ranch, about 1 1/2 miles south of Milford, now owned by Bill Baker ; one to the east, where Carl Goodwin's farm is now; the McKeon Ranch just east of it; the McGarry Ranch near Yellow Banks, north of Milford; the Bowen Ranch, north and west of Yellow Banks and west of the Union Pacific railroad tracks. All of the land directly east of Milford was the Tanner Ranch. The land on each side of the trough of the river bed was used for grazing sheep and cattle. About 1912, the idea became prevalent that this lighter land could be cultivated and used to grow grain under dry land methods. Thousands of acres extending from Modena to Black Rock were taken up by dry-land homesteaders. On some of these farms, homes were built and a vast amount of money and effort were expended. It was found that dry

fit for habitation." The desert he traversed was named after him, Escalante." Another wise man said, "The old desert takes its toll of everything you get out of it." But another man, whose life was more closely linked with the desert, said, "I have picked thousands of dollars off those sagebrush," meaning that his sheep and cattle had made this for him. Such thoughts are symbolical of the story that makes up the history of Milford Valley. Too many, who have endeavored to subdue it as a wilderness, have ended in disappointment and failure. Some have realized prosperity. In general, it has meant a struggle against the elements to gain a livelihood. The earliest settlers in the valley located on ranches along the riverbed, where water was available for irrigation. These were ranches in the strictest sense of the word. With the exception of a few who had the choicest places, their attempts were futile. Little was raised except wild hay, the reason being that the land was flooded in the early spring by high waters. Most of the ranches were abandoned before the turn of the century, but a few continued to be operated for the grazing of livestock. Shortly after the turn of the century, a few of the ranches that were still inhabited were the Peter Martin Ranch, about 1 1/2 miles south of Milford, now owned by Bill Baker ; one to the east, where Carl Goodwin's farm is now; the McKeon Ranch just east of it; the McGarry Ranch near Yellow Banks, north of Milford; the Bowen Ranch, north and west of Yellow Banks and west of the Union Pacific railroad tracks. All of the land directly east of Milford was the Tanner Ranch. The land on each side of the trough of the river bed was used for grazing sheep and cattle. About 1912, the idea became prevalent that this lighter land could be cultivated and used to grow grain under dry land methods. Thousands of acres extending from Modena to Black Rock were taken up by dry-land homesteaders. On some of these farms, homes were built and a vast amount of money and effort were expended. It was found that dry